Environmental Protection Agency March 1, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating the materials that are incorporated by reference (IBR) into the Florida State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulations affected by this update have been previously submitted by Florida and approved by EPA. In this notice, EPA is also notifying the public of corrections and clarifying changes in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) tables that identify material incorporated by reference into the Florida SIP. This update affects the materials that are available for public inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the EPA Regional Office.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conditionally approving portions of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission provided by the State of Mississippi, through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), via a letter dated January 25, 2021, and supplemented through a letter dated November 18, 2022. This approval pertains to certain infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2015 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or standards). Whenever EPA promulgates a new or revised NAAQS, the CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of that NAAQS. The January 25, 2021, SIP submission addresses all infrastructure elements except for those pertaining to the contribution to nonattainment or interference with maintenance of the NAAQS in other states. EPA is conditionally approving the portions of the submittal related to the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) infrastructure elements and the air quality modeling element.

In accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator's March 18, 2022, memorandum regarding ``Consent Decrees and Settlement Agreements to resolve Environmental Claims Against the Agency,'' notice is hereby given of a proposed consent decree in Cape Fear River Watch et al., v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, No. 1:22-cv-03809 (D. D.C). On December 23, 2022, Plaintiffs Cape Fear River Watch, Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, Waterkeeper Alliance, Humane Society of the United States, Food & Water Watch, Environment America, Comite Civico del Valle, Center for Biological Diversity, and Animal Legal Defense Fund (collectively, ``Plaintiffs'') filed a complaint against the EPA alleging that the Agency had failed to perform duties mandated by the Clean Water Act (``CWA'') to revise the effluent limitations guidelines (``ELGs'') and promulgate pretreatment standards for the Meat and Poultry Products (``MPP'') industrial category, after EPA had determined that such revised ELGs and standards were appropriate. EPA seeks public input on a proposed consent decree prior to its final decision-making with regard to potential settlement of the litigation.